Betting case: ED attaches assets of Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood
What's the story
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the assets of former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, actor Sonu Sood, and others in a money laundering case linked to an "illegal" betting app. The attached assets are worth over ₹4.5 crore. The money laundering case itself is estimated to be worth more than ₹1,000 crore. Other notable individuals whose properties have been attached include ex-TMC MP and Bengali actor Mimi Chakraborty and actor Neha Sharma.
Details
Assets worth over ₹4.5cr attached in money laundering case
The attached assets include Sood's properties valued at around ₹1 crore, Chakraborty's assets worth ₹59 lakh, Singh's properties estimated at ₹2.5 crore, Sharma's assets worth ₹1.26 crore, Uthappa's properties valued at ₹8.26 lakh, and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra's assets worth ₹47 lakh. The ED also attached assets of model Urvashi Rautela's mother, totaling ₹2.02 crore, and those of former cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina earlier in the investigation.
Legal proceedings
Assets categorized as 'proceeds of crime'
The attached assets have been classified as the "proceeds of crime" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This classification applies to the alleged illegal betting app 1xbet, which is registered in Curacao. ED's investigation into 1xBet is part of a larger probe against such platforms for cheating people out of crores and evading direct and indirect taxes. It's investigating how celebrities were approached by 1xBet for endorsements, who the contacts were in India, and how they were paid.